Storm leaves Seagate and heads into the Sun range

Leeds-based distributor Storm has severed its relationship with Seagate in order to replace the vendor's storage line with Sun Microsystems' products.

Storm will work alongside Sun's existing master reseller, Tplc, concentrating on supplying enterprise-level customers with the high-end of Sun's StorEdge range.

The move was seen as an extension of Sun's strategy, following the acquisition of US storage maker Encore in December 1997. Encore developed unique multiplatform storage facilities based on fibre channel technology, which Sun sees as the key to wooing business away from its competitors.

James Whitemore, Sun storage product manager - who was recently poached from IBM's storage division to mastermind a long-term strategy - said Storm will concentrate on increasing sales of the StorEdge range in the after-market, which accounts for more than 60 per cent of total sales.

It will also be targeting non-Sun users for the first time.

He said: 'The existing channel is perfect for selling storage as clothing on the same purchase order as a server, but we have been missing opportunities in the after-market, where customers want to add to existing capacity.

Storm's expertise in this field will help redress the balance.'

Bryn Sage, sales director at Storm, which also supplies Digital and IBM systems, said: 'I see this as a huge opportunity which will pay dividends over the next 12 months as the market starts to adopt this new technology.

We feel we will achieve better returns than we had with Seagate.'

Both parties were quick to play down suggestions that the move would affect Tplc's existing sole distribution agreement with Sun. 'I think it will give some of Tplc's resellers a kick up the arse,' said Whitemore.